Fierce HealthcarePhysicians should be aware of common contract loopholes to save themselves potential trouble down the road if an opportunity ends up being too good to be true. After a long search, you’ve got the job you want in the hospital of your dreams. Before signing on the dotted line, warns an article in Medscape, check the fine print over carefully. Physicians often wind up in situations they could have avoided if they had taken the time to read the plain language of their contract, according to Jon Appino of Contract Diagnostics, a consulting company in Kansas City, Missouri. “The employer’s and the employee’s expectations have to be clearly spelled out, with no room for guesswork,” he advises.READ MORE

The HillA far-reaching Medicare payment proposal cleared a crucial hurdle this week, as the federal health program seeks to reward doctors for keeping patients healthy. The pitch from the American College of Surgeons would allow more than 75 different specialty doctors to participate in Medicare’s new value-based payment system. Specialty physicians have been largely left out of the system, commonly known as MACRA after the bill that created it.READ MORE

Renal & Urology NewsTolvaptan treatment has a sustained disease-modifying effect on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), but the effects of five compared to two years of treatment on total kidney volume (TKV) were not significantly different, according to a new study.READ MORE

STATHuman intelligence has long powered hospitals and healthcare. We rely on clinicians to solve problems and create new solutions. Advances in artificial intelligence are now making it possible to apply this form of computer-based "thinking" to healthcare. Here are three areas — training, surgical robots, and data mining — in which I believe it will begin making a difference sooner rather than later.READ MORE

The HillHouse’s debate over repealing Obamacare has had an unintended effect: Republicans are now defending key elements of President Obama’s health law. Many House Republicans are now defending Obamacare’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions, in the face of an effort by the conservative House Freedom Caucus to repeal them.READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareWhat’s posted on your Facebook page? It might be time for some self-editing, as a new study found that many new doctors are posting unprofessional content on the social media site. In fact, researchers found that 40 percent of 201 public profiles of young urologists had posts that they described as unprofessional or had potentially objectionable content, including 13 percent that reflected “explicitly unprofessional behavior.” In those cases, posts included depictions of intoxication, uncensored profanity, unlawful behavior and confidential patient information, according to the study published in BJU International. What’s more, the content was self-authored in 82 percent of those categories.READ MORE

The San Diego Union-TribuneDoctors’ preferences appear to be winning out in the long-running debate about when screenings should begin for breast and prostate cancers. Newly released survey results show that most physicians aren’t following recommendations from the powerful U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for women to generally start getting mammograms at age 50. The health providers still have been approving the breast-cancer imaging procedure for women as young as 40.READ MORE

Deseret NewsTommy Tanzer spent years expecting a cancer diagnosis, but simple blood results never delivered such news, thus delaying necessary treatment. "We won't treat a patient unless we have a pathologic diagnosis," said Dr. Jonathan Tward, a radiation oncologist at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. "We just thought we were watching it grow in a patient when we could be treating it."READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareMany physicians who want to practice medicine in multiple states now have a streamlined process for medical licensure. Last week, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission officially began accepting applications from qualified doctors who want to obtain multiple licenses from participating states, according to an announcement (PDF) from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).READ MORE

Inc.Yesterday, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos published a new letter to shareholders, in which he refers to the company's timeline as "Day 1," allowing Amazon to continually move forward. What does Day 2 look like? "Day 2 is stasis. Followed by irrelevance. Followed by excruciating, painful decline. Followed by death. And that is why it is always Day 1," writes Bezos. The famous founder follows with some exceptional lessons for all who are pursuing organizational excellence.READ MORE

AUAThe American Urological Association (AUA), released the following statement in response to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) draft recommendation statement on Screening for Prostate Cancer.READ MORE

The Sacramento BeeSince being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2013, the Lincoln resident has made every effort to keep life vibrant even as she slowly loses control of her own muscles. This summer, she’ll join other California patients in a fight for experimental drugs that she hopes will give her a little more time to laugh with her loved ones. Hoover, an educator and former administrator, plans to take advantage of California’s “right to try” law – a 2017 policy that allows patients with terminal illnesses to request experimental drugs that haven’t finished the Food and Drug Administration’s required trials.READ MORE